Cleo Dell Davis

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWCH-8KZ
• Initiatory (LDS): 28 Jul 2012, SGEOR

Notes:

Obituary:
"Daily Herald", Provo, Utah, Sunday, May 15, 2011, page D6: Cleo Dell Da vis Scott, April 1, 1922 ~ May 10, 2011: Dell will be remembered as a lov ing mother, a trusted friend, an independent spirit, and one who always s aw the best in people. Formerly of Provo, she passed away peacefully at h er home in St. George, Utah on May 10, 2011. Dell was born April 1, 192 2 in Provo, Utah to Ara Moses Davis and Hazel Dell Stubbs. She grew up o n a farm near Utah Lake and always remembered her childhood with great fo ndness. Highlights included roller skating to the library, swimming in th e Provo River, and feeling love and support from wonderful parents. Del l attended schools in Provo and Orem, and graduated from Lincoln High Sch ool where she excelled in music, debate, and drama. She majored in Englis h literature at Brigham Young University and later continued her studie s at the University of Southern California. During World War II, Dell wor ked for the U.S. armed forces in Utah and in Long Beach, CA. Shortly afte r the war ended, she returned to Provo, married her childhood friend, Ric hard Neal Scott, and together they had four daughters. They were later di vorced. Dell lived in the Edgemont area for 50 years where she raised he r daughters and enjoyed many devoted friends. Weekends were spent picnick ing, horseback riding, skiing, and enjoying other outdoor adventures wit h family and friends. Dell, her siblings, and their spouses greatly enjoy ed each other's company, and together they traveled domestically and to t he South Pacific, the Caribbean, and Mexico. She loved gardening, golfing , playing bridge, and studying current events, politics, art, and history . She was a voracious reader and a creative writer, who wrote many famil y histories. Dell was a member of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers an d the LDS church. Water coloring was one of Dell's true passions. She too k many art classes, created award-winning paintings, and painted hundred s of handmade greeting cards designed especially for family and friends . Dell worked as an office manager in the construction department at Brig ham Young University for more than 25 years during a time of extensive co nstruction. She loved her work and took great satisfaction as she and he r physical plant colleagues helped the campus grow. She enjoyed working a t the university and befriended many BYU students over the years. Through out her life, people were drawn to Dell because of her friendliness, goo d humor, and positive attitude. Dell was preceded in death by her sibling s, Donna (Bert) Kirkpatrick; Ada Loree (Chester) Oveson; and Clyde (Barba ra) Davis. She is survived by her brother, Lee (Joanne) Davis of Provo, a nd her daughters, Chriss Walther-Thomas (Scott Thomas) of Lawrence, Kansa s; Laurie McMillan (Brent) of Burley, Idaho; Susan Ingle of Temecula, Cal ifornia; Dinah Scott of St. George, Utah; seven grandchildren and 13 grea t-grandchildren. Family and close friends will celebrate Dell's life late r this summer in Provo where she will be laid to rest at the East Lawn Me morial Hills Cemetery. In Dell's memory, plant a flower, read a good book , or do something nice for someone else. Arrangements are under the direc tion of Spilsbury Mortuary (435) 673-2454. Friends and family are invite d to sign her guest book at www.spilsburymortuary.com.

Cleo married Richard Neal Scott on 22 Mar 1947 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States. Richard (son of Norman Scott and Martha Parkin) was born on 25 Oct 1921 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; died on 19 Dec 1983 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; was buried on 16 Feb 1984 in Spanish Fork City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Initiatory (LDS): COMPLETED, PROVO
• FamilySearch ID: KWCH-8K8

Ara married Hazel Dell Stubbs on 13 Jun 1913 in Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, United States. Hazel (daughter of William Heber Stubbs and Blanche Whipple) was born on 31 May 1892 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; died on 19 Apr 1976 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; was buried on 22 Apr 1976 in Provo City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Initiatory (LDS): PROVO
• FamilySearch ID: KWCH-8K6

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWCJ-NPD
• Initiatory (LDS): 25 Jun 1941, SLAKE

Notes:

Obituary:
Dennis Joshua Davis was born April 7, 1861 in a cabin near Provo Utah. H is Father was Joshua Davis and his Mother was Johanna Anderson. Dennis' s father was born in Alton Ill. and his Mother was born in Malmo Sweden.
The cabin that Dennis was born in was on the property that his father own ed in the undeveloped area between Provo and Springville. It was later c alled the Ironton hill. When Dennis was still small, he and his mothe r moved to another property that his Father owned, this property was Wes t of what was then called the bench. Later it housed the Geneva Steel. T hey lived there for several years.
When Dennis was quite small, he remembers an incident that happened at th e home. One of his half brothers, who had moved in with them, became fri ghtened when a bunch of local Indians were on the rampage and threatenin g all who were around. Dennis's Mother decided they were going to walk ba ck to Provo so in the middle of the night she bundled them all up and lef t the home. There was Johanna, who carried baby Norman, older brother Ma rtin, who carried Dennis, Homer, who walked. Martin stumbled over a stum p and thought it was an Indian. They avoided the roads so it took the m a long time to reach Provo. They finally made it to Tom Browns home, w here they spent the rest of the night. The next day they learned that th e Indians had stole a squaw from another tribe and was threatening to kil l her.
Shortly after this incident Johanna and her children moved into her own h ome with her children.

Dennis was a hard working young man. He helped his Father in every way h e could. They cleared brush, fell trees and sage brush from morning to ni ght in order to clear the land to build houses. There were many childre n from two wives to support and feed. Dennis never got to go to school fo r a formal education because he worked so hard to help support the family .

When he was 23, he met and married Ada Draper, from Moroni Ut, Sanpete Co unty. They were married Feb. 5 1884. Their home was in Provo and becam e an extension of the kind of life Dennis was used to. He built an adob e home on a piece of property that he inherited from his father and it be came a beautiful place.
Later on, they built a bigger brick home to raise their growing family . Dennis excelled in horticulture and grew a business growing vegetable s and fruit. He was known as "The Watermelon King."
Dennis Joshua passed away at the age of 79 years. He is buried in the Pr ovo City Cemetery.

Dennis married Ada Draper on 5 Feb 1884 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States. Ada was born on 11 May 1865 in Moroni, Sanpete, Utah, United States; died on 9 Jan 1946 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; was buried on 12 Jan 1946 in Provo City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWCJ-NP8
• Initiatory (LDS): 15 Sep 1947, SLAKE

Notes:

Obituary:
"The Salt Lake Tribune", Salt Lake City, Utah, Friday, January 11, 1946 , page 19: PROVO - Funeral services for Mrs. Ada Draper Davis, 81, Orem , who died Wednesday of causes incident to age, will be conducted Saturda y at 1:30 p.m. in the Grandview LDS ward church by Rodney Kimball, bishop . Burial will be in the Provo City Burial Park. Friends may call at Quis t Funeral home Friday evening and Saturday prior to services. Mrs. Davi s was born May 11, 1864 at Moroni, a daughter of Moses and Rachel Hefne r Draper. She was married to Dennis J. Davis Feb. 5, 1884, in Moroni an d shortly after they moved to Orem where they made their home. Mr. Davi s died about five years ago. She was a member of the LDS church. She is s urvived by four sons and two daughters: Rural D Davis and A. M. Davis, Pr ovo; Ray S. Davis, Orem: Milton J, Davis, Oakland, Cal.; Mrs. Mirtes R. W eeter and Mrs. Mirl Benedict, Helper; 20 grandchildren, 13 great-grandchi ldren; one brother and one sister: Melvin Draper, Price, and Mrs. Laure l Tidwell, Moroni.

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWNG-W1M
• Initiatory (LDS): 7 Mar 1949, SLAKE

Notes:

Obituary:
William Heber was born 1 December 1855 in Provo, Utah. He graduated fr o m the eighth grade in the Provo City Schools. He married Blanche Whipp l e 6 April 1880. They were the parents of eight children: (1) Elsie bo r n 12 January 1881, married John Javaine, (2) Mary Ellander born 15 Jan ua ry 1883, married Byron Clark, (3) William Heber born 13 June 1886, die d y oung, (4) Ralph R., born 27 Nov 1889, married Florence Jones, (5) Haz el D ell, born 31 May 1892, married Ara C. Davis, (6) Edson LeRoy Donal d H. bo rn9 July 1889, married Myrl Hansen.

William built his first home on Seventh West and Fifth South across th e s treet from the home of his parents in the Provo Second Ward. Willia m an d his new bride moved into this home on 6 April 1880, their weddin g day . Later, he built at 12th West and 6th South. The children rememb er th e happy childhood days in this home on the road to the old communit y “Sou th Pasture” where the cows in the neighborhood were turned into th e lan e each morning and driven to the pasture, and returned in the eveni ng. T his was the “event” of the day.

The children remember the summer of 1888 when typhoid fever claimed th e l ife of William Heber Jr. The water in the surface well became contam inat ed, their mother and the three older children were seriously ill wit h th e fever. After William’s death Dr. Pike, the family physician and o nly d octor around at that time, advised Heber to take his family to th e mounta ins to help speed their recovery. With the family cow tied to t he wago n loaded with provisions, they went to the head of the Provo Rive r, now c alled “Mirror Lake”. Heber found employment with a logging comp any. H e chopped timber and floated it down the river to the sawmills . He worke d there all summer, returning in the fall with a well, happ y family and m oney for a substantial payment on the farm .

The farm consisted of forty acres and was purchased in 1886. It had a s p ring of water that measured 3 ½ gallons per minute, and it is still run ni ng. During the summer they lived in a log cabin on the farm and move d t o town for the winter. In 1905 they built the home on the farm now o wne d by their son Roy. They raised peaches and sugar beets. This far m cons isted of 68 acres and was later sold to their son-in-law Ara Davi s .

In 1921 they retired, moved to Provo, built a home on 7th West and Cente r , where they spent their remaining years. William Heber died 24 Octob e r 1937 of causes incidental to age. Blanche Whipple Stubbs died 13 Dec em ber 1936 at Provo, Utah of cerebral hemorrhage. Both are buried in Pr ov o City Cemetery Block 4, Lot 80 east of First East between Third and F our th North. The descendants of this good man and wife, all members o f th e Church, number 8 children, 20 grandchildren, 48 great-grandchildre n i n this year of 1864. Informant Hazell Stubbs Davis.

William married Blanche Whipple on 6 Apr 1880 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States. Blanche (daughter of Edson Whipple and Mary Ann Quinney) was born on 20 Feb 1861 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; died on 14 Dec 1936 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; was buried in Provo City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWNG-W19
• Initiatory (LDS): 1 Jun 1953, SLAKE

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWNL-XGC
• Initiatory (LDS): 17 Jun 1856, EHOUS

Richard married Ellander Ellen Wyer on 21 Jun 1843 in Lee, Iowa, United States. Ellander was born on 30 Nov 1825 in Jones Run, Harrison, West Virginia, United States; died on 14 Jan 1898 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; was buried on 17 Jan 1898 in Provo City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWNL-XGH
• Initiatory (LDS): 17 Jun 1856, EHOUS

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWJM-VZ4
• Initiatory (LDS): 31 Dec 1845
• Census: 1860, Provo, Utah, Utah, United States
• Census: 1870, Provo, Utah, Utah, United States
• Census: 1880, Provo, Utah, Utah, United States

Notes:

SOURCE: Michel L. Call, "Royal Ancestors of Some L.D.S. Families" (Afto n , Wyoming? 1972), p. 110.

SOURCE: Records of the Edson Whipple Family Organization.

SOURCE: Family group sheet of John Yeager (husband) and Ann Hyatt (wi f e ) prepared by Lydia W. Hansen, Box 314, Lakeside, Arizona. Cites th e foll owing:

Rec of Edson Whipple in poss of Charles Whipple, Show Low, Arizona.
Patriarchal blessing of Mary Ann and Harriet Yeager.
Temple rec

Life Story of Edson Whipple


Edson Whipple was a descendant of John Whipple, who came from England ab o ut 1620 and settled in Providence, Rhode Island. John was a son of Mat th ew of Booking, England. Edson was the sone of John and Basmuth Hutchi ns , grandson of Timothy and great-grandson of Samuel, who lived and die d i n Connecticut. John, the father of Edson, migrated from Connecticu t an d settled in Vermont in the year of 1780, where on the fifth of Febr uary , 1805, in the town of Dummerston, Windham County, Edson was born; h e bei ng the youngest son of a family of twelve children...five boys an d seve n girls.
He lived on a farm with the family until his father’s death, which occur r ed in November, 1830, after which he took charge of the farm and manag e d the affairs of those of the family yet at home.
On February 6, 1832, he married Lovinia Goss.
In 1834, he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he ran a grocery sto r e for a year or two. In the summer of 1837 he moved with his family t o P hiladelphia, where he lived for 9 years. It was while living in Phil adel phia that he first heard the gospel as revealed to Joseph Smith. O n 16 J une 1840, he was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church o f Jesus C hrist of Latter-day Saints, by Elder Benjamin Winchester. 17 Oc tober 184 0 he was ordained a priest by Elders Hyde and Bernes. He was o rdaine d a High Priest 6 April by Pres. Hyrum Smith and was chosen to ac t as fi rst counselor the Elder Benjamin Winchester to preside over the P hiladelp hia branch of the church.
On the 22 September 1842, he in company with twelve or fifteen others le f t Philadelphia by boat through the Erie Canal, for Nauvoo. The first S ab bath out they were detained on account of low water. They obtaine d a nea r-by school house and held two meetings, after which Elder Whippl e had th e privilege of baptizing six persons, among them the captain o f the boat , Jacob Wtezler, and two of his brothers.
The trip from Philadelphia to Nauvoo consumed 32 days by boat and rail a n d cost $12. 25. In speaking of prices of provisions and other thing s i n Nauvoo about 1842, he says lumber cost $10.00 per thousand; bric k $4.8 5; wheat 30 cents a bushel; corn 12½ cents; pork 1½ cents, bee f 2 cents l b.; butter 8 cents, eggs 6 cents a dozen; sugar 16 lbs. O r a dollar; mola sses 25 a gallon. He said these were the hardest time s he had in his lif e to get things’ no money in circulation. His wife w as sick and wanted s ome butter, he had no money to get it but started fo r the store after som e, and in crossing the rad, found a quarter .
In writing of the prophet in a letter to a friend, he says; “
He is a man whose character stands unimpeachable and is respected and co n sider a good citizen by all classes who have become acquainted with hi m . I know him to be kindhearted and charitable, given to hospitality, a n d he would divide the last meal with the poor.”
Nauvoo, at this time, was a city of twelve or fifteen thousand inhabitan t s and a very peaceful city, not a grog shop in it. On May 1, 1844 he , i n company with David Yearsly, left Nauvoo for a mission to Pennsylvan ia , to canvas the state and to present to the people to prophet’s view s o n government. While on this trip the prophet and patriarch were murd ered . Returning home, he was present at the meeting of the saints and w itnes sed the mantle of Joseph rest on Brigham Young as he was preachin g to th e people.
He assisted in building the Nauvoo Temple and was present at the layin g o f the capstone, and when it was completed, he received his endowment s the rein. He also helped to build the Nauvoo House, working on it duri ng th e Months of August and September, 1845. He assisted in defending t he cit y of Nauvoo against the mob which threatened to destroy it and th e temple . He was on guard some three or four miles down the river whe n General H arden and some thirty men on their way to Nauvoo to take Brig ham Young (t he time they took William Miller, supposing him to be Brigha m Young). A fter they passed, Whipple started for the city to give th e alarm and wen t by way of Golden Point, and around to the Temple, wher e he arrived thr ee-quarters of an hour before the General and his party . Conference wa s in session then. He sent in for General Rich, who mad e the arrangement s for their reception. At this time Elder Whipple belo nged to the new po lice under Captain Jesse Hunt.
At the time of the organization for the building of wagons, he was appoi n ted captain over ten in General Rich’s company. On the 15th of May 184 6 , in company with Hugh Mckinley and their families and teams, they cros se d the Missouri River on their way to Garden Grove. Travel was slow a n ac count of swampy ground.
They stayed in Garden Grove about two weeks, when he left for Council Bl u ffs, where he arrived about the middle of July 1846. It was about thi s t ime that the son, “Come, Come Ye Saints’ was composed. While on thi s jou rney he met Brigham Young going from Council Bluffs to Phisgy. H e told t hem that the government had made a demand on them for 500 men t o go to th e Mexican War.
After arriving at the Bluffs they were counseled to fix for the winte r . Together with twelve or fifteen families the located themselves on P on y Creek, about twelve miles from Winter Quarters, but they found thi s a v ery sickly place and out of the few persons, they buried fourteen . Her e Elder Whipple buried his whole family, consisting of his mother , wife a nd child, and came nigh unto death himself. There were only tw o well per sons in the camp at the time. After his family was buried, h e lay helple ss for a day and night and no one came to him; then the lat e Franklin Ste wart came to him and told him his family was not well, bu t if he were ove r to their camp they would help him. So he go John Mile s to move him ove r to Stewart’s where he stayed until well.
In the spring of 1847 he was called with 142 other people to form a pion e er company to lead the way to the Rocky Mountains. He traveled in th e fi rst ten of the second division under Captain Appleton Harman. (Howa rd Eg an, captain of ten of the second division under Captain Appleton Ha rman . Howard Egan, captain of ten and Heber C. Kimball of fifty.) Fro m th e diary of Edson Whipple; “In the spring of 1847 I was called in com pan y with 142 others to form a company of pioneers to lead the way int o th e wilderness. I left Winter Quarters 9 April and traveled among th e firs t ten of the second division under Capt. Harmon in the same c ompan y wit6h Pres. Heber C. Kimball. I was one of the guards and stoo d duty h alf the night every third night. About half our company arrive d in Sal t Lake City 22 July 1847, followed by Brigham Young and the rema inder o f the company on July 24. I had remained to take charge of the p ropert y and Brother Kimball’s family and effects, having buried all my f amily o n the road...”
After farming in Salt Lake City and making a return visit in the easte r n states and coming across the plains with another band of pioneers, Br ot her Whipple resumed his writing; “8 December 1847 This day, after comp let ing the sowing of wheat, all that I intend to sow until Elias Peirso n ret urns from California, I have weighted all the bread stuff we have o n hand , which consisted of 1078 lbs. Of wheat, 150# buckwheat, 360# of c orn, 65 1# of beans, Coffee for Ellen (Kimball’’s wife) 7#; rice for Ell en , 1 4 ½ #; sugar for Ellen 20#.
“December 10, the family came together in Brother Smith’s house and I la i d before them the quantity of provisions on hand and requested them t o ta ke into consideration what disposition we should make of it. It wa s agre ed on by all that each should draw every week 3# wheat, 2 ½ # bea ns, 1 # buckwheat, and 9 3/4# beef, and by so doing it would last until t he 1s t of July next.”
He was a member of the first High council in Salt Lake City, also the fi r st watermaster. On the 13 October 1848 he started back to the state s o n business for himself and discharged soldiers of the Mormon Battalio n . On this trip he took with him a small vial of California gold dust , pr obably the first gold dust ever exhibited in the East from the new C alifo rnia diggings. Wherever exhibited in the East, people came by th e thousa nds to see it. While Edson was in the east, Wilford Woodruff wa s sent o n a mission to the States with an epistle form the twelve apostl es and El der Whipple was called to assist him.
After filling this mission, he returned to Salt Lake City. 6 November 1 8 50 he married Mary Ann and Harriet Yeager whom he had brought across t h e plains with him from Philadelphia, where he had made their acquaintan ce . Quote again the diary of Edson Whipple: “After returning to Utah i n 18 50 I was called to help settle Iron County. We left 4 December wit h 10 1 wagons in our company. C.A. Smith was appointed judge of the coun try c ourt and I was his first associate. We submitted plans for towns a nd Par owan, Utah was built according to my plan. George Brimhall and my self bu ilt the first thresher and used water power from the creek to thr ash th e first crop of grain.
“In May 1851, Pres. Brigham Young made a visit and he and Pres. Hebe r C . Kimball said, “The mission is established and you can return to Pr ov o whenever you choose.”
His first wife was taken by death before he came to Utah. He married fo u r other wives and had families by all. He had a total of 33 Children . T he following is a tribute paid by Albert Jones, who lived in Provo a t th e time of Whipple’s residence there; “He was one of the pioneers liv e bur ners of our country, opening a large kiln across the lake at Pelica n Poin t, and the first to open up the commerce of Utah Lake by shippin g his lim e in a flat-bottomed sailboat.
“The love and devotion of his large plural family in the early days is e m phasized when one of his children contracted the dread disease, small-p ox . A consultation has held between his first wife, Mary Ann, and Edson , i n regard to the case. The child was not one of MaryAnn’s or of her S iste rs, but a well_grow boy of his third wife, Amelia, name Heber. Th e discu ssion concluded with Mary Ann’s argument, as if in foreboding o f her deat h, that if anything happened, she could be spared better tha t Edson; ther efore she would go in and nurse the boy, and she did. Th e boy died and s o did she. The case produced quite and excitement at th e time. The stre et was fenced off by order of the City Council; fires w ere built near th e premises, and the two victims of the dread disease we re burned in the d arkness of the night. The coffins were wrapped in clo ths dipped in tar : no funeral service, no sympathetic accompaniment of f riends, but the de ad hour of the night, Edson consigned to the flames th e remains of his lo ved ones.”
In 1871 He was sent on a mission to the Eastern States.
When the laws of the land no longer permitted plural marriage, or the li v ing together of plural families, Edson Whipple moved with two of his wi ve s, Harriet and Amelia and their children, to Arizona. Stopping at Hol bro ok the first of the year 1881, he worked there on the A. & P. Railroa d, n ow the Santa Fe. In May of the same year, they moved to Showlow, wh ere t hey located and bought a couple of claims, one from William Wolf o n the S howlow Creek, which had a small two-room house on it; and the oth er two m iles west which had about 20 acres of cleared land and some cro p plante d on it. Here he built a pumping plant run by water power, an d pumped th e water 150 feet up the cliff for domistic purposes. At thi s place he bu ilt a block house 22 by 32 feet, with port holes in it fo r protection aga inst the Apache Indians who were not friendly at that ti me. This buildin g was also used for public meetings and dances, and i t was known later a s the Whipple Hall.
He lived at Showlow until the fall of 1885, when he took his wife Ameli a , and the unmarried children and started for Old Mexico. But only wen t a s far as the Gila Valley, spending the winter there and going on in t h e spring, and locating in Colonia Juarez. The next fall he returned a n d got his other wife, Harriet, and her unmarried children. He also to o k his cattle on this trip.
In Mexico he built two houses and resided there until his death, 11 Ma y 1 894. He was buried in Colonia Juarez.
(Prepared by L. Florene Lunt Fair.)

Edson married Mary Ann Quinney on 21 Apr 1857 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States, and was divorced. Mary (daughter of John Quinney and Jane Susannah Moss) was born on 8 May 1832 in Witham, Essex, England; was christened on 19 Aug 1832 in Witham, Essex, England; died on 1 Dec 1910 in Provo, Utah, Utah, United States; was buried on 4 Dec 1910 in Provo City Cemetery, Utah, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FamilySearch ID: KWJZ-ZMQ
• Initiatory (LDS): 21 Apr 1857

Notes:

Mary Ann Quinney Whipple Matthews was born in England. She was the young e st of a family of three sisters and one brother. When she was four yea r s old her mother died. Her father remarried when she was eight years o l d and at twelve years she lived with her oldest sister, Susan, and he r hu sband. At fifteen Mary Ann and a friend started attending meetings o f th e Mormon Missionaries that were held on the street corner twice a we ek. M ary Ann decided to be baptized. Her sister was very angry when sh e hear d of Mary Ann's baptism and told her she was no longer welcome i n her hom e. Because it was night, Mary Ann asked if she could stay unti l morning . The answer was no. She took what few pieces of clothing she h ad and sta rted out. She decided she would pray for help, as the missiona ries had ta ught her to do. A policeman came to her rescue and helped he r obtain a po sition as nurse to an infant. The baby's mother was happy t o have her an d treated her kindly. When Mary Ann had saved enough mone y to emigrate t o Utah, which took five years, her employer gave her clot hing and money t o help her on her way.

Mary Ann and a girlfriend took the same ship to America. When they land e d they had to sell a lot of their belongings to buy groceries. They ma d e their way to Iowa City, Iowa and obtained a handcart with which to ma k e the journey across the Plains to Utah. Mary Ann and her friend, Heste r , pulled the handcart all across the Plains. They were caught in a terr ib le blizzard and snow storm. Some of Hester's toes were frozen and sh e beg ged Mary Ann to cut them off. Although it was hard to do, Mary An n cut th em off and healed them by putting axle crease on them. They wer e in the f irst handcart company that came across the Plains in 1856. (Pr obably th e Edmund Ellsworth Company that left Iowa City 9 June 1856.) He ster die d a year later in Salt Lake City.

Mary Ann married Edson Whipple in 1857. She was his fifth wife in plur a l marriage. They were among the first to settle Provo, Utah. The city w a s surrounded by a Fort to protect them from the Indians. She made stra w h ats, wove cloth on looms to make clothing, made soap, butter and chee se . Pioneer life was very hard. She always tried to live her religion a s sh e understood it. She chose to remain in Provo when her husband and t wo wi ves went to Mexico. She raised her family of five children by herse lf. Sh e married James Mathews in 1892. After he died she lived with a da ughter . Mary Ann died at the age of seventy-eight 1 December 1910 in Pro vo, Uta h.

From "Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, Volume III (M to R)" by th e I nternational Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers